Navy vet from KC injured in Mexico. Family’s message: Get travel health insurance | Opinion

The last few weeks have been quite hectic for the Lona family of Kansas City. And this local family’s trials and tribulations over the past month could serve as a valuable lesson for all of us: When visiting another country, you should consider purchasing international travel health insurance in case of a medical emergency.

The Lona family were reminded of this in the most horrific way. And surprisingly, crossing the border wasn’t the most difficult part of this story.

On June 11, David Lona, a Kansas City native, lifelong Chiefs fan, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy, suffered a traumatic head injury while visiting family in Mexico, according to his brother, Gabriel Lona. David, 39, fell from a horse, Gabriel said.

David is the son of Mary Lona and the nephew of Charles Olvera “Chuck” Lona, both longtime activists and community organizers for the Mexican American community on Kansas City’s Westside. Chuck died last year of prostate cancer. Mary was killed by a drunk driver in 1999, according to Gabriel.

The injuries David suffered — internal trauma and a brain bleed that led to rapid swelling in his brain — were life-threatening. David is fortunate to be alive, Gabriel said.

“He was in pretty bad shape,” he said.

When we spoke this week, Gabriel, 43, told me David, a San Diego resident these days, was still hospitalized in El Paso, Texas. The good news, Gabriel said, was that his brother was no longer in dire straits.

“He is on the mend,” he said. “He is doing rehab work but he has to work on walking again.”

The family documented David’s plight on a GoFundMe page set up to help cover these unexpected medical expenses. As a Navy vet, David’s medical insurance is covered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but those benefits don’t apply in another country.

According to the U.S. Department of State’s website, “the U.S. government does not pay medical costs for U.S. citizens traveling abroad.”

The federal agency encourages folks traveling abroad to purchase travel health insurance before their trip — something David Lona and family never considered.

“We didn’t even think about it until after the fall,” Gabriel said. “If we had travel insurance, it would’ve made everything a lot easier. The encouragement of getting travel insurance is all I’m doing now to anybody that’s leaving the country that I know.”

And the federal government — as do I — suggest travelers read the fine print on their domestic health care policy before taking off.

“Check with your U.S. health insurance provider and ask if they cover emergency and routine medical care abroad,” the State Department’s website reads.

Finding medical care in Mexico

After a whirlwind of events trying to find a trauma care facility south of the border, David eventually made his way back to the U.S. nine days later, according to Gabriel. A GoFundMe page set up by older brother Guillermo, 45, reports that Dave was placed on a ventilator with a tracheotomy at University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.

“My brother, Dave Lona — a proud Navy veteran, devoted brother, diehard Chiefs fan, and beloved friend to many — is now in a coma, fighting for his life,” Guillermo wrote on June 20.

“While visiting Mexico to celebrate our uncle’s retirement, Dave went out for a horseback ride,” Guillermo wrote. “What should’ve been a joyful moment turned tragic. He suffered a severe fall, causing internal trauma and a brain bleed that led to rapid swelling in his brain.”

After reading that, I felt compelled to recount David’s harrowing experience in hopes of helping raise awareness to the family’s situation. A tragic event could happen to any of us. More importantly, I wanted to shed light on the need for travel health insurance.

“He’s now on a ventilator with a tracheotomy, in critical condition in an ICU in El Paso, Texas — fighting to wake up.”

Thankfully, as of this week, David is alert and in recovery, Gabriel said.

“Dave’s emergency began in Camargo, Mexico, where our family had to cover out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, imaging, urgent care, and ambulance transportation — eventually leading to a hospital in Chihuahua, and then an ambulance transfer across the border to the U.S.,” Guillermo’s post read.

“My 75-year-old father, with the help of our family in Mexico and kind-hearted strangers, fought through red tape, legal barriers, and hospital restrictions to get Dave safely to the care he needed,” the post continued. “Without that effort, Dave would not be alive.”

Getting back to the U.S.

The brothers’ father, William “Memo” Lona, is 75. He moved heaven and Earth to make sure David survived the fall, Gabriel said. The red tape and politics of being an American in Mexico without medical insurance proved costly.

“The family had to “scrounge up $12,000 just to get him an ambulance to get him to the border five hours away,” Gabriel said.

Surprisingly, Gabriel said, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were sympathetic to David’s injuries and let the family back into the country with as little hassle as possible.

“They were able to get through the border and to the best trauma center in El Paso to get him the treatment he needed,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel marveled at the strength and courage William showed trying to get David the help he needed. He’s grateful for other family members from Mexico that played a huge part in navigating some tough terrain that way.

“My dad stayed strong and moved through these times to get him across the border,” Gabriel said. “It’s just a mind-blowing thing.”

Gabriel added that he has documented everything the family went through since David’s fall. There are too many intricate stories of people helping along the way and people trying to take advantage of the situation to not have a recorded history of events, he said.

“It’s been crazy the last couple of weeks.” Gabriel said.

To help David Lona offset medical expenses incurred since his fall, visit the GoFundMe page the family organized.

And make sure you double check your own health insurance policy before traveling abroad.

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